Who Do You Think You Are? Returns

 

Tonight (9pm UK time) the latest series of the genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are? begins.  A new tranche of celebrities will share their family trees, and hopefully demonstrate some techniques and record sources that will be of interest to family historians.  Having seen the USA’s version of this show, I think it’s fair to say that viewers from either side of the pond don't always recognise celebs from across the water, who may be less well-known to a transatlantic audience.  I confess to not knowing who some of the US series' subjects were, although they were clearly popular over there!

While I’m pretty sure that most international fans of the programme would recognise Dame Judi Dench in the new UK series, those not familiar with British politics (or Strictly) might struggle to identify Ed Balls.  However, and this is especially useful for those who don’t have access to BBC TV services on its iPlayer platform, there is a large back catalogue of the previous WDYTYA? series available on YouTube.  Here, there are some slightly more high-profile subjects: J.K. Rowling, John Hurt, Kate Winslet, Daniel Radcliffe, Courteney Cox, and Boris Johnson, to name just a few. 

Some of their ancestors' stories are tragic, others inspiring – for instance, J.K. Rowling discovers a French military hero in her family.  For me, one of the most memorable instalments was about actor Alan Cumming’s father. I won’t spoil it for you but it does have a very different outcome.

Another unrelated, but no less fascinating family history BBC show that aired recently was a standalone documentary about a young woman seeking to discover her birth parents’ identities.  Having been abandoned as a baby and with the support of her adoptive family, she used DNA to try and trace blood relatives.  Shown as part of the Our Lives collection of programmes, it’s called Finding My Family and can be viewed on iPlayer.

Hopefully some of the family stories told in these productions will encourage you to keep researching when you feel like giving up, or to develop a better appreciation for those who have gone before us.